Salugu, in the North Gonja District of the Savannah Region, has its people begging for government help after losing everything they owned in the tragic event.
The victims, who are primarily women and children, are forced to fight to save what little is left from the attackers’ destruction without access to food or shelter.
They are thus calling for the speedy administration of justice and drawing attention to the fact that they have already been the object of similar attacks in the past.
On December 26, 2023, unknown individuals riding motorcycles are said to have broken into the farming community and set fire to fifty houses, along with food supplies and personal belongings. Despite their visit, the North Gonja District police made no arrests in connection with the attack.
The affected population consists of twenty adult males, thirty adult females, and sixty-two children; all have suffered significant losses. The victims explain how their hard-earned harvest from the 2022–2023 farming season, which was kept in storage in their homes, was destroyed by the vicious attack.
When we were in Salugu, we saw scenes where women were distraught and working feverishly to extract what little remained of their possessions from the charred remains. The 66-year-old widow, Karimatu Alhassan, was found crying and attempting to gather what little she could from her burned-out room.
“What hurts me the most is that my husband and son are not here. Even though the little I harvested at home would have gotten me through the dry season, everything is now gone. “My main concern is how I feed myself,” lamented Karimatu Alhassan.
Another victim, Kasim Adam, described how everything he owned—including his clothes, mattress, flat-screen TV, and other valuables—was stolen. He asserted that he knew who was pursuing them and that when he tried to intervene, two policemen shoved him aside and shot him warning shots.
Our further investigation revealed that a dispute between a herdsman and a farmer by the name of Alhassan Abu led to the attack in the communities of Salugu and Daboya.
The farmer demanded payment for the damage the herdsman’s cattle had caused, which led to a confrontation.
The herdsman refused to pay, and the farmer had to take custody of one of the cows. The police were notified of this later. The police are currently in possession of the Daboya cow.
